Rats
by Kylie Anderson
Summary: After 'Purgatory', Goren and Eames's friendship becomes strained. But that is the least of Goren's worries as it appears that someone is trying to kill him for being a 'rat'...
1. Chapter 1

Rats

Chapter 1

Alexandra Eames sighed as she sat at her desk. The clock on the wall of the police station read five in the morning. _Why did I come in to work so early?_ Eames questioned silently. _There's nothing to do. I have no paperwork to fill out. I have no case to run down leads. So, why did I come in? _

But then she remembered. She came in because she couldn't sleep. And she couldn't sleep because she couldn't stop thinking about that day…the day when she came face to face with her partner…holding a gun. _If anyone else had opened that door, they would have shot him first. Ask questions later. _Eames thought. _Why couldn't he just tell me he was going undercover? Would that have been so hard? A phone call!_

Pushing those thoughts away, Eames glanced at the clock again. 5:05 AM. She heard the elevator 'ding' and knew that someone would soon be arriving. Looking up, she saw that it was Daniel Ross, her captain. "Eames." Ross began with surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Eames had no answer for him. "Well, I…" Eames began, attempting to fabricate an answer. "I don't know."

Sitting on the edge of her desk, Ross decided that this would be the best time to have a 'heart-to-heart' with Eames. "Look, Alex, I know that this past week has been rough for you. I don't really know what to tell you other than, it would be horrible if the two best detectives in the country can't work together. Because let's face it, the two of you are a team. You wouldn't be as great of a detective without Goren and visa versa." Ross said gently. "Maybe you should talk to him."

"I did." Eames said lightly. "And now there's nothing more to say."

Clearly, Eames didn't want to talk about it. Ross didn't want to push her and he didn't want to push Goren, but if they couldn't work together, then they were endangering everyone. The problem needed to be fixed soon or Ross was going to fix it himself. "Alright." Ross said, deciding to let it drop for now.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Eames. "Wait, why are you here so early?" Eames questioned back.

Ross smiled. "When I applied for Captain of the Major Case Squad, I thought I was going to have it easy…give people their assignments, make sure they don't kill anyone…but no. They have this little thing called paperwork." Ross replied.

With that, Ross disappeared into his office leaving Eames once again alone. No one entered the building until six thirty. Detectives started to filter in and by seven, a familiar face had stepped off of the elevator. Detective Robert Goren walked towards Eames and sat directly in front of her, at his desk. "Hi," Goren said in a cautious voice.

"Hi," Eames replied back in a dull voice.

Her tone alerted Goren that she was still angry at him…and rightfully so. He screwed things up big time. _What do I say to her? Maybe it's just best to be quiet…or should I ask her how she is?_ Goren wondered. But thankfully, Ross appeared at that moment. "I've got a case for you two. Two people from France were murdered last night in their hotel." Ross announced, handing a slip to Eames.

"Why Major Case?" Goren asked swiftly.

Ross sighed. "Apparently they were from Paris and knew the French ambassador…" Ross said quietly. "The French ambassador asked the Chief of Detectives to put the best detectives on this case. Pierre Lamont, the French ambassador, is very upset over their deaths and wants their murder brought to justice."

Goren and Eames stood up simultaneously. "That paper has the address of the hotel on it," Ross added before he watched the two detectives disappear into the elevator.

* * *

When they arrived at the hotel, it was clear that this French couple was very rich. The hotel was known to be one of the best in New York City. Five star…and these people had the presidential suite. A uniformed police officer walked up to Goren and Eames before they even walked through the door. "_Bonjour_!" The male officer said with a smile…when the smile was not returned, the officer realized how insensitive he was being. He became extremely serious. "The two victims are Claire Blanc, age thirty seven and Jean Blanc, age thirty nine. They lived directly in Paris and were in New York City on vacation."

The officer led them into the living room area of the suite. There, Claire Blanc lay on the floor sprawled out. She was wearing a blue evening dress and a large pearl necklace. She was beautiful, Eames noted, for her hair was a dark brown and it was put in a neat bun. The only flaw to Madame Blanc was the stab wounds to her chest and the blood that she laid in.

Madame Blanc's husband, Jean, lay a good six feet away from her, near the bedroom entrance. He too was dressed up, in a tuxedo. Again, his only flaw was the stab wounds and the blood. "She was killed first." Goren noted immediately. "The killer came in and stabbed her first. Her husband heard the screams and came from the bedroom to see what was wrong and then…"

"The killer killed him." Eames finished. "But how did he get in?"

Looking at the door, Goren could see that it was intact. "He didn't break in. She couldn't have let him in. She's too far away from the door." Goren said. "He had a key?"

Eames looked at Goren. "But who has a key? I mean, we're talking hotel staff, but…" Eames said with clear doubt.

"It's possible get into a hotel room that uses electronic keys without actually having a key…but don't ask me how. Also, hotel staff could have provided a master key for a friend and that friend lent it to another friend and…" Goren said trailing off.

Sighing, Eames still had her doubts. "Okay, so maybe it wasn't the maid that killed them, but who found them?" Eames questioned.

The officer pulled out his notebook. "The maid." The officer said shortly.

"So we should talk to the maid." Eames said.

Goren, who was still looking at the crime scene, barely seemed to notice anything. He turned his head every which way gathering tiny details. "Goren." Eames said with a sharp tone.

That got his attention. He looked at her with a confused look. "Yeah?" Goren asked cautiously.

"The maid." Eames said impatiently.

Surprised at her tone, Goren could only nod once. "Oh," He said softly.

* * *

Back at the station (after talking to the maid and determining that she did not kill the Blancs), Eames was typing away rapidly on the computer while Goren was looking over crime scene photographs. All of a sudden, Ross walked rapidly towards Goren and Eames.

"Mike Stoat and Lois Melago escaped from prison an hour ago." Ross said rapidly.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"They escaped?" Eames asked with pure shock. "But how?"

Ross sighed. "As you know, Stoat was being held at Rikers and there's no way he could have gotten off that island without help. Melago also escaped at the same time from a female correctional facility. They were awaiting trial." Ross said quickly.

"Someone helped them." Eames stated.

Goren shook his head. "Not someone. If they escaped at the same time, more than one person had to help them…Actually to escape from Rikers, you would need a lot of help." Goren said quietly.

Ross looked at Goren. He looked so…broken. Ross hated to tell Goren what he was about to tell him, but he had to. "Goren, Stoat left a note in his cell." Ross said before handing Goren a picture.

The picture was of a message scribbled on a piece of white paper. It read:

_Bobby Goren, _

_All rats die. Especially if people don't like those rats. And those rats who have partners? Well, maybe their partners will die too… _

_You said you had my back, but you lied. And liars die too. So, it's not looking good for you. I see death in your near future. _

_Mike _

Eames had read it over Goren's shoulder. Goren took one look at it and then he looked at Eames. "She needs protection." Goren said immediately without taking his eyes off of Eames.

"Who are you to decide what I need?" Eames questioned, suddenly irritated.

Goren sighed. "Look, I didn't want to involve you in this. And now that I have, I want to make sure you're alright." Goren said softly.

Shaking her head, Eames wasn't going to let this go easily. "You didn't want to get me involved? Is that why you didn't even bother to give me a phone call?" Eames asked angrily. "Why couldn't you give me a phone call?"

"I was undercover." Goren stated factually.

"I could have killed you!" Eames shouted, not caring who heard her. "If that's not getting me involved, I don't know what is!"

Rubbing his head, Goren never felt so much confusion in his life. He wasn't sure what Eames wanted from him. "I'm sorry, what do you want me to do? I can't change the past." Goren told her.

Vaguely aware that everyone in the squad room was watching them, Eames shook her head. "A call…I came and saw you…and you didn't say a thing…" Eames said in a wounded tone.

Ross cleared this throat, to remind the two detectives that he was indeed still there. "Alex, I agree with Detective Goren. You will need protection." Ross said gently. "And you too will need protection…."

The last comment was directed towards Goren. "Yes," Goren said distantly.

"What leads do you have in the case?" Ross asked, hoping to get them back on track.

Eames began to talk, but Goren heard nothing of it. His thoughts were far away. Stoat and Melago had escaped…with the help of prison guards no doubt. So, the corrections officers were against him. All the uniformed police officers were against him. The detectives were against him. The whole world was against him…even his partner whom he believed would stand beside him even if no one else would.

* * *

Gathering up his binder, Goren planned to leave for the night…even thought it was only five o'clock in the evening. In his memory, Goren couldn't remember leaving so early when there was a case to work. But his heart was no longer in the case…the job… He just wanted to go home and sleep. "Where are you going?" Eames's voice questioned.

"Home." Goren said coldly.

As he began to walk away, Eames stood up. "Why?" Eames questioned. "We've got to go over the autopsy report of Claire and Jean Blanc."

Not even stopping, Goren nodded. "Yep. Tomorrow." Goren said shortly before he stepped on the elevator. "Night."

_He's got the nerve! _Eames thought as the doors to the elevator closed. _He's got the nerve to boss me around and then just leave whenever he feels like it's a good time to go! _

Pulling out a manila file, Eames began to read the autopsy report.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Can we take him now?" A nervous male voice questioned in a dark alley.

A black, hooded figure shook it's head. "No, not yet!" A male voice whispered from under the hood. "How many times do I have to tell you?"

The first man paced back and forth. "I know. I know. But I can't wait! I've waited a long time for this…" The man said.

"Then you can wait a bit longer!" The other man snapped back. "Look, you want Detective Goren to go down? Well, we do it my way. We've got friends and I've got orders."

Running his fingers through his hair, the first man nodded. "Right…and how many people are in with this plan?" The man asked.

The other man smiled widely…even in the darkness it was obvious how content the man was. "A lot. People Goren put away, other detectives, police officers, one defense attorney…He's going down." The other man said happily.

"But who are you taking orders from?" The first man persisted.

Changing his mood from happy to angry, the other man spit on the ground. "Enough questions!" The other man said heatedly. "Be patient. Your time will come…and Detective Goren will be no more."

* * *

Following the lead of an anonymous caller, Goren and Eames were headed out to talk to a Ms. Rachelle Hester. She lived a short drive outside of New York City. According to the caller, Rachelle had information on the death of the Blanc's. The drive, while a short one, was a tense one. Goren said nothing to Eames and Eames said nothing to Goren.

Arriving at their destination, Eames parked the car and walked up to the door of a small house. Goren followed her up the steps. She knocked on the door and a tall, blonde woman answered the door. She had big blue eyes. "'Ello? Do I know you?" The woman asked in a thick French accent.

Eames and Goren held out their shields. "I'm Detective Eames and this is Detective Goren. We're with NYPD. Are you Rachelle Hester?" Eames questioned.

The woman, dressed in classy professional attire and appearing to be in her late twenties, nodded. "Yes, I am." Rachelle said cautiously. "What iz t'iz about?"

"May we come in?" Goren asked politely.

Still cautious, Rachelle moved aside and let them into the well-furnished house. It was clear that Rachelle had money. "Do you know a Claire Blanc or Jean Blanc?" Eames asked, taking the lead.

Rachelle led them into a spacious living room. "_Non_, I do not know t'em." Rachelle said before sitting down.

Eames sat in a chair directly in front of Rachelle. Meanwhile, Goren walked around the living room and noted the pictures on the mantle of the fireplace. "You're from France?" Goren asked casually.

"Yes. I waz born in France to a French mot'er and a German fat'er." Rachelle said proudly. "We moved to America w'en I waz seventeen. My parents t'oug't it would be a good experience."

Having done research on her, Goren knew this already. He also knew that Rachelle worked for a business company that paid her very, very well. "Where did you live in France?" Eames asked, taking off where Goren left it.

"Pari'…the city of lights." Rachelle said with a smile.

Eames nodded. "Really? Claire and Jean were from there…" Eames said.

Smiling, Rachelle nodded. "Pari' iz a large city." Rachelle stated.

"Yeah, that might be a coincidence, but is it a coincidence that you worked a year as a secretary for Jean Blanc?" Eames asked.

Caught, Rachelle's smile faded. "Ah yes, alas, I did go back to Pari' to work az a secretary." Rachelle said truthfully. "And I did work for Jean…"

"Why did you lie about knowing Jean?" Eames asked.

Looking down, Rachelle appeared uncomfortable. "Well, we…'ad an affair…" Rachelle said quietly. "But it waz only a month…Once I found out he waz married, I ended it."

"Did you know that Claire and Jean were killed two nights ago?" Goren asked.

A hand flew up to her pale mouth. "Ah _mais non_!" Rachelle cried.

Tears rolled down Rachelle's face. "Did Jean or Claire have any enemies?" Eames asked softly.

Rachelle nodded. "Yes…" She said through the tears. "T'ere waz a man t'at didn't agree wit' Claire. 'E 'ad different political views…and since Claire worked closely wit' the ambassador, it was a big t'ing. 'E t'reatened to kill 'er."

"You were close to Claire?" Eames asked surprised.

Again, Rachelle nodded. "_Oui_. After my affair with Jean, Claire and I became close friends." Rachelle said. "But I moved back to America and she stayed in France…I didn't even know they were in New York."

Trying to get Rachelle back to the mysterious man, Goren nodded. "Did Claire mention anything else about this man?" Goren questioned. "What he looked like? His name?"

Thinking for a moment, Rachelle shook her head. "_Non_…not to me. But I t'ink she mentioned something about a security guard at her apartment in Pari'…" Rachelle said.

Eames stood up. "Thank you and if you think of anything else, please call." Eames said giving Rachelle her business card.

Goren led the way out and Eames followed.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Pulling her hair back into a ponytail, Eames glanced at her computer. She had sent an e-mail to the French embassy requesting them to talk to the security guard at Claire and Jean's building. Hopefully the guard would remember the man and they could determine if that man was in New York at the time of the murder…if so, he was a suspect.

Looking around the room, Eames noted that Goren had gone home early…again. _This isn't like him. _Eames thought. _What has been going on with him lately? It's like he's another person…that I can't stand! _

_But he was undercover. _Her inner voice argued. _And when you're undercover, you're undercover. You know the rules Alex. You don't tell anyone…not your mother, your father, your uncle…not even your partner. Plus, you've been too harsh on him. You publicly humiliated him with that letter in that courtroom. You know? The one where you said you didn't want to work with him? And what did Bobby do? He did nothing. He didn't get mad at you or give you grief about it. Gosh, what kind of person are you Alex to do this to him? What did he do to deserve it? _

_I'll tell you what he did. _The other inner voice began._ He scared me. I can only remember a few times that I've been that scared. He was standing there, holding a gun to me…I could have shot him and the papers would have just gone away with the 'good cop gone bad leaving his partner with only one way out- to shoot him'. And I never would have known that he was undercover…that he was really just trying to get his shield back…_

_Yes! That's it. _Her inner voice encouraged her. _Try to understand things from his perspective. Can you forgive him? Because you know that he relies on you and you rely on him. You're a team. And you're friends. _

Sighing, Eames nodded to herself. "Yes." Eames said aloud to the empty squad room. "I'll talk to him…and I'll apologize."

* * *

When Goren left early, the parking garage was surprisingly empty. _You left early. What did you expect? _Goren reminded himself.

Pulling out his keys, Goren was about to open his car when he heard a sound behind him. Turning on his heel, Goren found himself face to face with Mike Stoat…and many other men. "Where you goin' Bobby?" Stoat questioned. "You goin' home so early?"

Goren's first thought was 'oh my gosh'. His second thought? _Eames._ Goren wasn't sure how to reply to Stoat, so he simply remained silent. "Hey, did you get my gift?" Another voice asked.

Looking over, Goren saw that the voice belonged to Ricky Usher, another detective in the Major Case Squad. Goren didn't know Ricky well…actually Goren didn't know Ricky at all. All Goren knew was that Ricky was a detective. _What did I do to piss him off?_ Goren wondered. "You know? My dead rat. I thought it was a beautiful touch. You see, Stoat and I went to the academy together and we're buds. And cops…and cops don't rat out other cops." Ricky said, moving closer.

Goren counted seven men, not including Stoat. _Eight men…There's no physical way out._ Goren thought to himself, trying to remain as calm as possible. _But do you have to be strong to get away? All you have to do is talk you're way out of this. _

Having no service weapon with him, Goren realized that his chances of survival were slim to none. _They're going to kill you._ Goren thought, coming to that cold realization. "I don't think I know all of you." Goren said lightly.

"Oh, that's cute! He wants to know our names. Why? So you can rat us out too?" Another man asked harshly.

Another man shrugged. "Why not tell him? It's not like he's going to live to see the light of tomorrow." The man said carelessly.

_What did I do to them?_ Goren wondered. "I'm sorry you feel the need to kill me." Goren said, just trying to stall for time. "You realize that by killing me, it solves nothing."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Some man said, truly not caring. "Let's do this."

Mike Stoat smiled. "Come on Bobby. We're going for a little drive." Stoat said.

_No way out. _Goren thought darkly. The eight men shoved Goren into a large, unmarked, brown van. They started it and it sped away into the dusk of the evening…


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Eames decided that it was probably best to give up for the night. The embassy still had not e-mailed her back… _Maybe they need a translator to translate it to French. _Eames thought.

Putting on her coat, Eames went down the elevator in silence. She walked out into the parking garage and got out her keys. She was about to open the door to her small car when she noticed that Goren's car was still in the parking lot. She froze. Goren left hours ago.

Pulling out her cell phone, Eames was about to dial for help when someone grabbed her arm. The cell phone clattered to the ground, useless. Swinging around, Eames felt for her gun…but she had left it in her drawer for the night. Resorting to basic self-defense, Eames stomped on her attacker's foot. "Steel toe Alex." A voice growled.

Still struggling, Eames realized that she was trapped. She could not get out. Nothing she did would break the vice grip of her attacker. "Stop moving." The voice commanded.

Seeing no way out, Eames complied. "Good girl. Now, you wondering what happened to Bobby? Let's go see him." The voice said, still from behind her.

* * *

Thrown in a dark basement, Eames tried to adjust to the poor light provided by a single light bulb. "Bobby?" Eames asked with a frail voice.

Movement in the darkness… "Alex?" Goren's voice asked back.

Rushing forward, Eames could see Goren. She embraced him in a tight hug. "Bobby! I'm so, so sorry. Please, I don't know what…I'm a jerk. Really, I am. I'm so sorry." Eames said with warm, salty tears running down her face.

Surprised, Goren held her tightly back. "Shh…It's okay Alex. Look, you have nothing to be sorry about. I should be the one apologizing…" Goren said softly.

Breaking the hug and brushing away some tears, Eames sighed. "You know what, we're both right. You should be sorry about not telling me, but I should be even sorrier for being horrible to you. I know that you had to do this and I understand that you had orders not to tell me…but I was so scared. I thought I was going to kill you..." Eames said shakily. "Please, forgive me."

"Alex, I was never mad at you." Goren said honestly.

Eames nodded. "I know…and I'm sorry about not talking to you. But I'm really, really sorry about what I said with carrying your water…" Eames said bowing down her head in shame. "You've never treated me like anything less than an equal, a friend…You've been so wonderful to me and…"

Even in the darkness, Eames could see that Goren was smiling. "Alex, it's alright. I'm fine." Goren said gently. "I've had worse things happen to me. But I will admit that it hurt a bit because you're my friend and I don't have many of those."

"So you forgive me?" Eames asked in quiet voice.

"Only if you forgive me." Goren said.

Considering their situation, Eames should have been worried, but at the moment, all she felt was relief. Wiping away the rest of her tears, Eames sighed. "Okay." Eames said gently. "Now, what happened to you?"

"I went into the parking garage and…eight men jumped me. I really thought they were going to kill me then…" Goren said fading into silence.

Eames decided to let the silence continue for a while. _He probably just needs a bit of time. _Eames thought. But after a few minutes, Eames knew that he needed to be prompted. "Did you recognize anyone?" Eames asked.

Biting his lip, Goren nodded. "Yeah…Stoat was there and Ricky Usher. Couple of them looked like familiar cops…" Goren said closing his eyes, trying to remember their faces.

"Ricky Usher?" Eames asked surprised. "Doesn't he work Major Case too?"

"Yeah. He's the one who put the dead rat in my desk." Goren said bitterly.

Again, there was a look of surprise on Eames's face. "Dead rat? What are you talking about?" Eames questioned.

Rubbing his forehead, Goren sighed. "I opened my desk drawer to put a few files in there and I saw it…a dead rat. Clearly it was a message…" Goren said.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Eames asked. "I would have found that little…"

Goren smiled a bit, but it was a sad smile. "You weren't exactly in the talking mood." Goren admitted.

_True. _Eames thought. _Very, very true. _"Did you tell Ross? Anyone?" Eames continued.

Shaking his head, Goren looked a little ashamed. "I thought it was just someone blowing off their steam. I knew it was a threat, but I thought I would get some more advanced warning before someone tried something. And I did. Stoat escaped and left that letter." Goren said. "Eames, I'm sorry that I dragged you into this. If anything happens to you…"

"All these years, everything you've done has been to protect me, hasn't it?" Eames asked, suddenly realizing.

"Like I said, I don't have many friends and the ones I do, I like to keep them." Goren said truthfully…with a touch of light humor.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Eames looked around the basement. It was an average, cement basement. There was a flight of stairs that led to the basement, but other than that, the room was bare and plain. "So, do you have a plan?" Eames asked.

Goren shook his head. "No, I don't." Goren replied.

Sitting down against the cold wall, Eames felt a wave of sadness crash upon her. "What's going to happen to us Bobby?" Eames asked quietly.

Sitting next to her, Goren wasn't quite sure what to tell Eames. "Look, they kidnapped both of us for a reason." Goren said in a logically tone. "Therefore, whatever they're planning, must involve the two of us."

"And what would they be planning?" Eames questioned.

Putting his head down to his knees, Goren took a deep breath. "To kill us." Goren said. "There's no other explanation."

Eames was a smart woman. She guessed that they were probably going to kill them, but she needed to hear Goren to say it. When Goren said it, it made her realize how serious the situation was and how real the danger was. "Ross left before me. I was the last one to leave for the night." Eames told him.

"No one will know we're missing until the morning." Goren said finishing her thought. "By then, it will be too late."

Closing her eyes, Eames swallowed. "Yes, it'll be too late." Eames said in a sad tone; coming to realize one's fate is a terrible thing.

The door slammed open. Bright light poured into the basement. Feet stomped down the stairs. Reacting to the sound of the door, Goren jumped up and leapt in front of Eames, as if to protect her. Eames too was now standing. There were at least fifteen people standing in front of Goren and Eames. Many of them were familiar faces…Stoat, Copa, Melago and various police officers and detectives. Goren recognized at least one ex-convict. "Protecting your partner Bobby?" Stoat asked as he walked closed to Goren. "How sweet…"

"You know, I hear things ain't going so well between you two…" Melago said, drawing out her words slowly.

Eames and Goren couldn't have been more confused by this statement. _What does that have to do with the price of rice in China?_ Eames wondered. "What do you mean?" Goren asked calmly.

Ricky Usher, the other Major Case Detective, sighed. "Well, Detective Robert Goren and Detective Alexandra Eames were going through a rough time. They fought all time…even in the squad room where at least twenty honest detectives will vouch that they saw these fights. One day, Goren just snapped. He's a little mental, so we all knew it was gonna happen some time. Unfortunately, Eames got caught in the mess…" Ricky Usher began, as if he was giving testimony at a trial.

"He left early that day," Stoat continued. "to prepare. Eames walked out later, and Goren forced her into her car. You can see the videotape clearly…he was wearing a mask and gloves, but that height is definitely Goren's height. Anyway, he drove her to a secluded area where there was an abandoned house. He brought her down into the basement. Officer Jessica Writs was on duty that night…"

A small, pretty woman stepped forward. "I heard some voices coming from an abandoned house on my beat. My partner was taking a bathroom break, so I decided to check it out on my own. I came downstairs into the basement to find that Goren was holding a gun at Eames. I pulled out my weapon and told Goren to put down the gun. Eames was so scared. But no matter what I did, Goren wouldn't put down the gun. He shot her…and then he turned the gun to himself. I didn't have time to say anything. He just pulled the trigger…" Officer Jessica said, pretending to have a shaky and convincing voice.

Sighing, Stoat shook his head. "It's really such a tragedy. Alex was a nice woman. The stress of the job just gets to some cops and it's really too bad that Goren had to drag Alex into it. She'll be missed." Stoat said in a phony voice, before changing it to a nasty voice once again. "The media will dig this story. I mean come on, a good cop gone bad? And he takes out his partner too? Oh wow…they'll love it."

_They're trying to psychologically "freak" us out. _Goren told himself. _Yeah well, it's working! _"One problem." Goren said softly. "You forgot about the videotape of you guys kidnapping me."

Stoat smiled. It was a crooked smile. "Did we? What videotape? I think Josh, the security guard, might have misplaced it…But he did get two thousand dollars too…" Stoat said in a cruel tone.

Eames put on her tough cop face…and tough cop attitude. "Oh please! Do you honestly think anyone will buy that crap?" Eames asked harshly.

"Everyone thinks your partner is crazy." Stoat said. "And we have eyewitnesses and evidence… Of course they'll believe it."

Folding her arms in front of her, Eames didn't look impressed. "Yeah, we've got evidence too. How 'bout a note threatening to kill him?" Eames asked. "What about that?"

Melago shrugged. "Mike and I will be in some Spanish speaking country sipping margaritas. Everyone will have forgotten about that silly letter and about us." Melago said carelessly.

Although Eames and Goren didn't want to admit it, it appeared as if this was a fool proof plan. These people thought of everything. And it appeared as if there was no hope of getting out of that basement alive…


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

_What do you do best Bobby? _Goren thought to himself. _Well, I can interrogate very well. Okay, so pretend like this is an interrogation…only it's more of a negotiation. Let them slip up…or at least buy some time. _"Well, that's a great plan. Really, it is." Goren said in a light tone. "But why are you doing this?"

"Why?" Melago repeated.

Working with Goren for so long, it took Eames only seconds to realize what Goren was doing. She felt a burst of pride at her partner for being so logical, so calm and so intelligent in a time of need. But she also realized that this could be the biggest mistake of their lives. They were with unpredictable, desperate criminals…criminals that had the upper hand. Also, they were dealing with criminals that were in control of the situation. If Goren said the wrong thing, it could be all over for them. Eames had faith in Goren though. She would be there to pick up any part of the conversation as she had always done. "You know, your motive?" Eames said, trying to make it more clear.

Laughter roared through the crowd. "They're supposed to be the smartest detective team? Ha!" Someone yelled.

"So much for good deductive skills!" Another screamed.

Stoat smirked. "Come on, I thought this was an easy one! We…hate…you." Stoat said, looking directly at Goren. "Why? Because I hate a rat and some of these guys hate a rat too. Others are people you've locked up. And some others are just sick of you."

_Good Bobby. Good. _Eames thought happily. _Make them feel like they have the upper hand…which they do, but I'm sure you'll get control soon enough. Make them feel like they're superior to us and like they're smarter than us. _"Sick of me?" Goren repeated. "But how can they be sick of me?"

"You take the spotlight way too many times. Some of us want to work Major Case before we die…" An ugly woman shouted.

Murmurs of 'yeah' and 'that's right' flowed through the crowd. "And you're a lunatic!" Someone yelled.

Goren kept a straight face. "I always thought I was quite sane." Goren said in a serious, calm voice.

People laughed at that comment. "You sane? Yeah right." Another person said.

"Oh I hate how people think you're so smart, but I know you're not!" Yet another person added.

_I never knew how many people hated me. _Goren thought.

_Wow. _Eames thought. _I didn't know how many people hated him. _

Putting his hands up, Goren shook his head. "Okay, okay. I get it." Goren said. "But why not just get me arrested? Or kicked off the force? Why do you want to kill me?"

"Because," Stoat said slowly. "Revenge is the sweetest thing when wrong has been done to you."

_There is no way out for you Bobby. No way out. _Goren thought dully. _But Eames doesn't have to die because of you. She still has a chance. _"I understand…and I agree with you." Goren said in a calm voice. "But my partner, Alex, she hasn't done anything. She has a family, a nephew… She is the kindest partner I have ever known. Why do you want her to suffer for my mistakes?"

Someone laughed. "We want to kill her because it will kill you to see her dead." A male voice explained. "We want you to suffer and die knowing that you're the reason she's dead."

"But aren't you doing this for revenge?" Goren said, thankful for his interrogation techniques. "And how is this revenge if you kill an innocent person? Wouldn't that be murder?"

A woman shrugged. "Desperate times call for desperate measures." She said.

Nodding, Goren understood what she was saying. He had been hoping someone would bring up that point. "All of you police officers and detectives took an oath and you have a moral obligation to yourselves…aren't you breaking that oath and that moral obligation by killing an innocent person?" Goren questioned.

_Oh my…_Eames thought when she realized what Goren was doing. She had worked with him long enough to understand and anticipate what he was doing. At that moment, she wanted to cry. She wanted to tell him to stop, but she couldn't. If she did, everything would fall apart. _He's doing this for you Alex. He's giving up his life for you… _

"Who cares about oaths? Moral obligations? None of this matters…" Melago said carelessly.

Shrugging, Goren looked as calm as possible. "Yes, it doesn't matter now, but what about judgment day?" Goren asked.

Again, laughter rippled through the crowd. "You mean like God? Well, it's a good thing I don't believe in Him." Someone shouted.

"I used to go to church." A woman said suddenly. "But…I lost faith a long time ago…"

"You didn't lose faith. It's still there. He is still there." Goren said, at this point grasping at straws.

Before the woman could reply, Stoat clapped his hands. "Bravo Detective Goren! Try and go for the weakness of the group…But Lanna won't fall for that because we're not that stupid. Look, I applaud your efforts, but the fact remains, you will die." Stoat said.

Biting his lip, Goren nodded. "I understand…but please, don't kill Eames." Goren said, noting that his voice has a slight quiver to it.

Stoat glanced at his watch. "Well, I would love to chat about this more, but I have to go for the moment. I'll leave you and Alex to talk for an hour. At the end of which, you shall meet your fate." Stoat said coldly.

With that, the crowd disappeared up the stairs. Eames and Goren were still standing in shock, looking at one another.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Bobby, I understand what you were trying to do, but please, let's find a way out of this that both of us can survive." Eames said quickly as soon as the door was shut.

There was a sad smile on Goren's face. "Alex, there is no way to save me. Nothing I say or do will change their minds. But there is a chance to get you out of here alive…and I would be absolutely stupid not to try." Goren admitted.

Tears started to fall down Eames's face. "If you're dead…I don't think I could go on living without you because…you've always been so nice to me and…" Eames said quickly losing control.

Goren rubbed her back gently. "Alex, you would be able to go on. You lived through your husband's death and I'm sure that was extremely difficult…but life goes on." Goren said in a logical tone. "You are going to make it out of here alive."

"Please, can't we figure out a way to get out of here together?" Eames begged.

Sighing, Goren walked away from her and around the room. "I can't figure anything out. Our interrogation techniques are generally successful on one person or maybe two because we can find their weakness. But we're dealing with a large amount of people…It's nearly impossible to stop a large group of people from doing something they want to do." Goren said.

"Then how to you plan to get me out?" Eames said, turning the tables on him.

"They don't really want to kill you. I mean, they do, but not as much as they want to kill me." Goren said.

The room became silent again. Both people were lost in their thoughts, their memories… "We're partners. And partners don't leave each other." Eames said decidedly. "I'm not leaving you here."

Once Eames made up her mind, she made up her mind. Years of working with Eames had taught Goren this. He also knew that it was useless to argue with her. "Okay." Goren said softly.

Sitting down, Eames and Goren lapsed into complete silence. All they needed was to know that the other was with them. To Goren, it was comforting to hear Eames's soft breathing. "Don't worry about what people think." Eames said quietly. "God knows the truth."

"I…I wish I could have talked to my brother. Apologized to him." Goren admitted.

Eames nodded. "Yeah, my dad and I got in a fight about a week ago. It was something stupid and to be honest, I don't remember what it was. I was going to call him…" Eames said.

The door opened again. _Had it been an hour already? _Goren wondered. Stoat walked slowly down the stairs. He had a gun in his hand. The others followed him down the stairs. Stoat walked to Eames. He raised the gun.

Goren's heart dropped. He began to move, but everything seemed in slow motion. A gunshot rang out as Goren pushed Eames to the floor. The door to the basement was busted open again…

"NYPD! Freeze!" A booming voice ordered. "Put down the gun Stoat! Put it down!"

SWAT members raced down the stairs and surrounded the people. Stoat looked at Goren and Eames lying on the floor. He still had the gun in his hand. "Put it down!" The voice repeated.

"Daniel Ross…" Stoat said slowly. "I can't do that."

Raising the gun, Stoat never had the chance to fire. Several different police officers fired simultaneously and killed him instantly. Ross raced towards Goren and Eames. They hadn't moved since the first gunshot. "Goren! Eames!" Ross shouted as he dropped beside him.

Goren stirred and began to sit up. Eames, stunned and shocked, followed Goren's lead. "Are you alright?" Ross asked concerned.

"Yeah," Goren said gradually. "Eames?"

Nodding, Eames still looked a bit surprised. "Yeah, I'm fine." Eames said. "How…?"

Ross assisted them in standing up. "I had forgotten my cell phone in the office. When I came to the parking garage, I saw both of your cars. I raced upstairs to find the office was empty." Ross explained. "I talked to a few detectives and they told me what was going down…after I threatened them with the harshest punishment I could think of."

"That was some quick talking." Eames said, recovering from her shock.

Shrugging, Ross smiled a bit at them. "I guess I was lucky." Ross said. "You must have stalled for time."

"Bobby did." Eames offered. "He got us at least two or three hours."

"Good job Detective." Ross said, then looking at paramedics standing at the doorway. "Let's have you both checked out by these paramedics."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

_A Week Later_

Sitting at his desk, Goren looked up to see that Eames was doing some paperwork. Sensing his eyes, Eames looked up. "What?" Eames asked with a smile.

"I was thinking about how much I would miss this." Goren said softly.

Eames nodded, putting down her pen. "Yeah, but you don't have to worry about those people now. Stoat is dead and the others are suffering harsh punishment and serious jail time." Eames said.

"I know." Goren said. "But I was referring to our fight. What would have happened if we weren't kidnapped?"

"Actually, I was going to talk to you so…We're good." Eames said picking her pen back up.

The door to Ross's office opened and he walked out. "Where are you two with the Blanc case?" Ross questioned.

Opening his binder, Goren cleared his throat. "Well, we cleared pretty much everyone that had contact with the Blanc's." Goren said glancing at the file.

"Hey," Eames said reading something in a file. "This says that the French ambassador was in the city at the time of the murders. It also says that the ambassador wasn't at the gala he was supposed to be at after ten o'clock…"

Goren looked at Eames. She looked at him. "A French ambassador?" Ross questioned, surprised. "You think that the French ambassador killed these people? But he requested our help!"

"Precisely." Goren said. "It's rather clever. If you ask for help, no one will suspect it was you."

Ross sighed. What had he gotten himself into? "Alright, let's bring him in for questioning…Just questioning!" Ross said carefully.

Business as usual. Life goes on. Goren and Eames stood up. They walked together towards the elevator. No matter what happened from that day forward, Goren was confident that Eames would be standing beside him the entire way. He was her partner. She was his. And they would always be there for one another…

**The End**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order: CI. **

A/N- I hope you enjoyed this story. I thought the end to Purgatory was a perfect place to start a fanfic. If you liked this story, check out my other stories!

Kylie Anderson


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